THE FATHOMLESS EP
Co-Produced by DJ FAUST, SHORTEE & CRAZE

"FATHOMLESS" CHARTS NEW TERRITORY
written by Billy Jam
Ironically some of the most innovative and creative hip-hop records being made these days are outside the industry's rigid confines of what's supposedly "rap" or "hip- hop." Case in point is the new progressive turntablist collaborative effort from DJs Faust, Shortee & Craze; "Fathomless." Released by Bomb Hip-Hop Records, the pioneering label that released such critically acclaimed - albeit ahead of their time -"Return Of The DJ" turntablist collections and also DJ Faust's solo debut "Man Or Myth?," the limited edition (vinyl only) seven song EP "Fathomless" is too complex to be simply labeled "rap" or "hip-hop." Yet it's closer to the genre, especially in terms of song structure and production, than the hundreds of watered down, smoothed out r&b based tracks with poppy rappers slapped on top, that sadly pass as "hip-hop music" these days. With a variety of sounds that range from hard in-your-face, scratch-happy, chemical beats, to commanding drum 'n' bass speaker shaking, to trippy down-tempo tracks seductively layered with subdued scratching (eg: "Conundrum") "Fathomless" goes where no turntablist release has gone before. Particularly noteworthy is the inspired drum 'n' bass laced "Farrago" that's destined to get any dance floor sweating like a muthafucka while "Broken Joints" starts out at a medium hip-hop flavored pace before kicking in with wild fiery abandon. On this track DJ Faust scratches Zapp's "More Bounce To The Ounce" and goes crazy with wild freakish wrist movements on the turntables as he mixes in snippets of such hip-hop favorites as Funky Four's "It's the Joint." Equally diverse and pleasing are "Mind Over Matter" and "My Turn" - both of which deliver the goods in full force. Like much of "Fathomless" the track "What It Means," (with all three DJs), which ranges in styles including a head bobbing scratched hip-hop beat and a myriad of cool found sounds including Audio Two ("What more can I say..."), a cool drum 'n' bass segment (performed all by hand, no samplers) and a beefed up deep based dancehall groove, is simply beyond categorization. The quality EP's closing track "Ironic, Isn't It?" packs a hypnotic beat, laced with laughter underneath, while female DJ Shortee profoundly states "Isn't it ironic? We are creating music of the future out of something so primitive." Although "Fathomless," with its pioneering displays of progressive turntablism by DJs Faust, Shortee & Craze, is closer to hip-hop than most releases these days, many folks just won't know what to call it. Ironic isn't it?

Track Listing:

1. Conundrum
2. Farrago
3. Broken Joints
4. Mind Over Matter
5. My Turn
6. What It Means
7. Ironic, Isn't It?


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